Destination, Determination, Deliberation
by aiden.c
Summary: Lily discovers an unwritten rule of the wizarding world the hard way.
1. Chapter 1

Ever since taking the preparation course for the Apparition test at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, an opportunity which she had jumped on with great vigor, Lily Evans had lived her life by the anthem of Apparition: destination, determination, deliberation. She was intent on her chosen destination: Head of the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic, with the merit of an Order of Merlin, First Class. (For what, she was unsure. The more heroic and glorifying, the better.) If determination was a measurable substance, she'd have it coming out of her ears. And every act that she performed was done with such deliberation and precision that anyone involved would have had to be certifiably mad to doubt any prospect of the plan.

James Potter was painfully aware of these traits, which caused him all the more befuddlement when confronted with a giggling, stumbling, utterly intoxicated Lily Evans in the living room of his London flat. He'd woken to the delightful sound of what he thought was shrieking, but ended up to be Lily's reaction to something she found extremely funny.

"Lily?" he asked groggily, leaning against the doorjamb between his bedroom and the living room. "What're you doing here?"

"Silly, silly James!" she slurred giddily. "I live here!"

"No, Lils, you don't," he tried to reason. "Are you... Lily, are you drunk?"

"Oh, James!" she exclaimed while grasping his arm for balance. She'd staggered over to him, knocking over a lamp or two along the way. "'Course I'm not drunk! How goofy would that be, auror-in-training Lily Evans drunk as a boiled owl!"

"A boiled owl...? Lily, you need to sit down. You're going to hurt yourself." He looked into her eyes, which had dimmed with realization.

"Oh, Merlin. I'm drunk," Lily admitted gloomily. "How could I be dr-" Her rhetorical question was interrupted with an impromptu hiccup and a giggle. "Oh, Merlin, I'm drunk," she repeated.

"Yes, you are," James agreed with a chuckle. "Now sit down while I make a pot of coffee, then I'll take you home."

Lily simply nodded, a dazed expression plastered on her face. Soon enough, though not before knocking over another lamp and stubbing her toe on the foot of the couch, a steaming cup of coffee sat before her with a promise of the gain of some state of mind. "James?" she queried.

"Yes, love?" he replied, looking over his cup of coffee. He'd wiped the sleepies out of his eyes and came to terms with the fact that he wasn't getting much more sleep that night.

"Where am I?"

"You're in my apartment, love," James responded soothingly. "We'll get you back home as soon as you finish the coffee."

"Could I stay the night here?" asked Lily sheepishly. "Apparating here from... wherever I was before gave me quite a headache."

"Of course you can," he replied. Truth be told, James was thrown off by the request. He and Lily had become friends since they left Hogwarts, keeping in touch and even getting together once in a while with the gang from their school days. Despite the fact that she'd warmed up to James, he was sure that her feelings toward him romantically still remained the same. And though her appeal assuredly was platonic, he was shaken by her blunt approach. They'd never been that close.

Lily nodded in response as her eyes clouded over and she began to sway in her seat. Soon enough, her head had slumped to meet the table and he heard a profound snore come from her direction. He felt his lips part into a lopsided grin as he watched her sleep. Slowly he got up and went over to her, lifting her out of her chair and into his arms to carry her to his bed.

Laying her down on the mattress, James observed her resting form before grabbing a blanket and departing to sleep on the couch. He stopped when he felt a hand- Lily's hand- grab his wrist.

"James..." she whispered, "stay. Please."

Averse to his better judgement, he nodded, climbing into the bed. He created a fair amount of space between them, it was better that way, but Lily wouldn't stand for it. She snuggled up against him with a satisfied sigh escaping her lips. James rolled his eyes before closing him. "Just don't blame me when you wake up screaming, love," he murmured prior to letting the sea of sleep wash over him.

He was in for an interesting morning.

* * *

_A/N: Written for lilkyonkyon's "Don't Drink and Apparate" Challenge on HPFC. I could possibly do a second part to this, but at the moment I've got at least five challenges to wrap up, so yeah. We'll have to see about that. So, let me know what you think! Would you like a part two? What was your favorite part? Did I portray a drunk decently? (I've never been drunk, nor been around people who are intoxicated, so I basically took a shot in the dark.) What did you think of the Spain/Germany game? Anywho, until next time!_

_Much love, Sadie_


	2. Chapter 2

Pain. Pain so excruciating that she couldn't think at all, forget thinking logically. What had happened? How did she get into the state she was in currently, the state of utter agony? A hangover. She was hungover.

"Holy mother of Merlin," Lily gasped, rolling over onto her stomach. The thing was, she was unfamiliar with the soft, silky material her face came in contact with. Her pillow was lumpy and worn from use, clothed in an old linen pillowcase.

She sat up abruptly, which probably wasn't the best decision regarding her headache. She groaned while gently massaging her temples and trying to figure out where she was. A content sigh sounded to her right, accompanied by the rustling of sheets. Lily quickly turned her head, another not very good idea, and was met with a sleeping, smiling James Potter.

Her eyes widened as she slid herself farther away from his sleeping form. She didn't scream, she didn't yell; she was far too surprised for fearful formalities. By the time she'd come to her senses, she'd encountered the hardwood floor with a rather painful greeting.

"Huh?" James asked of no one in particular. He was woken by the sound of Lily hitting the ground, and seemed to be as disoriented as she was.

Oh no, Lily worried, what if we... Oh no.

"Lily?" he inquired. The girl in question popped into view with the most innocent of looks upon her face.

"Yes, James?"

"Are you feeling better?"

"I knew it! I knew it!" Lily exclaimed, acting upon her earlier speculation. "I can't believe you'd take advantage of me in my inebriated state! I thought you were over that! I can't believe you had the audacity to a-"

"Lily! Calm down," James reasoned. "I didn't take advantage of you!"

"You didn't?" She looked at him in disbelief. From what she knew, she was an extremely affectionate drunk. If she had thrown herself at him, he must have resisted.

"No! Now, lets get you something to drink, and maybe a Pepper-Up Potion? You had a rough night."

Lily nodded, lifting herself up off the floor. "May I ask you a question?" she asked as they made their way into the kitchen.

"Of course, love," he responded, reaching for the kettle in order to heat up some water for tea.

"What happened? Why am I here? Why was I in your bed?"

"That's three questions. One, I don't know. Two, I'm not really sure. You kind of just showed up late last night. Three, you asked to be there."

"I did?"

James nodded to confirm his statement as he readied the tea. A pregnant pause occupied the space while he prepared then served tea, adding some Pepper-Up Potion to Lily's. "How are you feeling?"

"A tad disoriented, and I have a wicked painful headache. Does this happen every time you get drunk?"

"Sadly, yes. But you did apparate while intoxicated, so that must have added to the pain. Then again, you've never been able to hold your firewhisky."

"I resent that!"

James chuckled. "Do you remember anything from last night?"

"Only up until Marlene, Alice and I left for the bar," Lily admitted. "Look, James, I want to thank you for helping me out, but I'd best be going." She hoisted herself out of the chair, padded over to James, and planted a kiss on his stubbly cheek. "I'll be seeing you."

With that, she disappeared with a loud CRACK, arriving at her own apartment. She leaned against the nearest wall, sliding down it and hanging her head in her hands.

Oh, Merlin, she thought. I have feelings for James Potter.

* * *

_A/N: Back from a short hiatus, here's Part Two to the story. I know, its been nearly a month, but honestly I had hardly any inspiration in that amount of time. Anywho, EXPECT EDITS on this chapter, if you wish to reread it once I get around to revisions. And I will get around to revisions sooner or later... A VERY POTTER SEQUEL COMES OUT TONIGHT! I'm super duper pumped. :) Let me know what you think about the story, about AVPM, about your summer (or those in the southern hemisphere, winter), anything! Thanks so much to those who reviewed/favorited/alerted/etc! It seriously makes my day! Also, I'd like to say that this story has been added to the community "Lily and James: the Best of the Best." I'm so honored!_

_Much love, Sadie_


End file.
